Boldness

Luke 11:1-13 is a passage that we all have heard many times.  It is the passage in the New Testament where Jesus gives us the Lord's prayer.  Today, most of the folks around the world know it by heart.


Most of the time the passage is taught as a play-by-play on how to talk with God.  As I was reading further (past the Lord's prayer) something in verse 8 jumped out at me.  Jesus tells a story of a man asking his neighbor for bread in the middle of the night.  He states that because of his boldness he received what he needed.


If you are a child of God, He teaches us to pray with boldness.  Here are a few thoughts that have humbled me this week:

• I am a sinner.  What I deserve is hell.  What I was given is a gift from God because He wanted me as His child. 
• His grace is bigger than my sin.
• God spoke words out of His mouth and creation obeyed Him.  The mountains, trees, animals and even us as humans were all created by words.  Even so, God decides He still wants me to have a relationship with Him.  Why would someone so powerful want to have anything to do with me, someone so insignificant?  Because He loves us.
• He gave us His Son so it could all be made right with Him.
• On top of it all, He tells us to "Pray with boldness!"  We get to approach the throne as His kids, asking Him for our wants and needs.

I can't get my mind around that kind of love and grace.  It's truly amazing.